Laura BartelsGreenWeaver Inc.www.greenweaverinc.comGreener Homes National SummitHUD-ONAPDenver, ColoradoSept, 2011
Alternative Building Strategies:Building Community Solutions forNative Nations with Straw Bale Construction
Laura BartelsPresident, GreenWeaver Inc.
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Straw Bale BuildingAn American invention older than jazz
Straw bale buildingbegan in the late 1800’safter the invention of the baling machine.
The first U.S. patenton bale building wasin 1880.
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Adoption Across a Wide Spectrum
Photos Darcy Donovan and © Todd Winslow Pierce
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Springs Preserve, Las Vegas
• Achieved LEED Platinum using straw bale and rammedearth
• Winner, High Performance Building Award, SustainableBuildings Industry Council
Photo © Luchessi Galati Architects, Inc.
© GreenWeaver Inc. 2011Photo © Hord Coplan Macht
Schools Choose Straw Bale to Reduce Cost andEnergy Use and Offer Healthy Environment
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Concrete home inTucson retrofitted withstraw bale and earthand lime plasters
Upgrading Existing Buildings
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Modern Straw Bale Building All 50 U.S. States currently have straw bale structures
Source: International Straw Bale Building Registry, http://sbregistry.greenbuilder.com/
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It’s Not Just UsOver 40 countrieshave straw balestructures
Including Argentina, Australia, Belarus, Belgium, Bulgaria, Canada, Chile, China, Croatia, CzechRepublic, Denmark, Ecuador, England, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Guatemala,Hungary, India, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Korea, Mexico, Mongolia, Netherlands, Neutral Zone,New Zealand, Norway, Pakistan, Peru, Portugal, South Africa, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland,United States, Uruguay, Yugoslavia, Zambia
Source: International Straw Bale Building Registry, http://sbregistry.greenbuilder.com/The Last Straw Journal, www.thelaststraw.org
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Why the Growth?
“[Straw bale building] is a powerful strategyin creating energy and resource efficientbuildings.”
Charles R. Smith, Jr. AIA, LEED APVice President, HOK
#1 Architectural/Engineering Firm,Engineering News-Record, April 21, 2008
Photo Courtesy of Bruce King, P.E.
Santa Clarita, CA Transit Maintenance Facility, LEED Gold
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A Resource to be Taken Seriously
• The amount of straw available annually issubstantial- 125 to 177 million tons.(Source: USDA Economic Research Service)
• If half was available for building, it would createover 10 million 2,000 sf homes annually.(Source: Toolbase Services, NAHB Research Center)
That’s 5 times the highestnumber of US annualhousing starts in history.
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• Uses baled straw (not hay)• Straw is either structural
or non-structural• Plaster applied on both sides• Well designed for moisture
Building With Baled Straw
Drawing courtesy of Chris Magwood
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Structural WallSystem
Non StructuralWall Systems
Single Family Homes - CO & CAAffordable Housing Project, Guadalupe, AZ
Photos Courtesy of DCAT, Terralink Structures LLC& Martin Hammer
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High Performance, Low Impact BuildingEnvelopes First
• 2,700 square feet• Temperatures to -30°F• 4 foot average snow pack Heating and hot water
$30/month Indoor temperature when
unheated never below 55°F
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INSULATION + MASS = COMFORT R 3.14 + minimal mass VS. R 30 + distributed mass
Source: Ken Haggard, San Luis Sustainability Group
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HOME ENERGY RATING
R 3.14 + minimal mass VS. R 30 + distributed mass
Source: Ken Haggard, San Luis Sustainability Group
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• Thermal– ORNL testing demonstrates R-value of 27 for 18” wall– CA Energy Commission allows R-value of 30 for plastered bale wall– Mass of plaster shown to enhance R-value of assembly
• Structural– Compressive, lateral and seismic testing demonstrate impressive capacity and
that it is a nearly ideal seismic material– Plastered wall acts like a stress skin panel with optimal ductility
• Acoustic– Testing shows straw bale wall to be excellent sound barrier
• Fire– Assemblies meet 1- and 2- hour ASTM fire ratings
Properties of Plastered Bale Walls
Summary of testing available at www.ecobuildnetwork.org
© GreenWeaver Inc. 2011© GreenWeaver Inc. 2010
Embodied Energy of MaterialsMATERIAL Btu/lb. MATERIAL Btu/lb.
Baled Straw 6,499 Mineral Wool Insulation 395,365
Stone (Local) 21,685 Glass 430,564
Concrete Block 24,388 Fiberglass Insulation 820,524
Concrete 35,199 Steel 866,534
Lumber 67,696 PVC 1,895,615
Brick 67,696 Copper 1,911,832
Gypsum Wallboard 165,185 Paint 2,526,565
Particle Board 216,665 Linoleum 3,141,298
Aluminum (Recycled) 219,367 Polystyrene Insulation 3,168,389
Steel (Recycled) 240,990 Carpet (Synthetic) 4,007,832
Plywood 281,658 Aluminum 6,147,204
Sourece: Cole and Kernan
© GreenWeaver Inc. 2011© GreenWeaver Inc. 2010
Embodied Energy of MaterialsMATERIAL Btu/lb. MATERIAL Btu/lb.
Baled Straw 6,499 Mineral Wool Insulation 395,365
Stone (Local) 21,685 Glass 430,564
Concrete Block 24,388 Fiberglass Insulation 820,524
Concrete 35,199 Steel 866,534
Lumber 67,696 PVC 1,895,615
Brick 67,696 Copper 1,911,832
Gypsum Wallboard 165,185 Paint 2,526,565
Particle Board 216,665 Linoleum 3,141,298
Aluminum (Recycled) 219,367 Polystyrene Insulation 3,168,389
Steel (Recycled) 240,990 Carpet (Synthetic) 4,007,832
Plywood 281,658 Aluminum 6,147,204
Sourece: Cole and Kernan
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• Low operating energy– Good thermal performance (reducing heating and cooling needs)
• Low embodied energy– Minimally processed– Local or regional, widely available
• Passive Survivability– Reduces likelihood of deaths from heat or cold in blackouts
Meeting Energy Goals
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Up to 90 % of Each Energy Dollar
Leaves the Local Economy*
Where Do Energy Dollars Go?
*The average is 70% to 80% according to “Dollars From Sense:Economic Benefits of Renewable Energy” 1995 U.S. DOE study. InRural Communities & Indian Reservations it can be as high as 90%.
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Most of that MoneyStayed in the Community?
Jobs Businesses Tax Base
What if…
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It Can! Local Energy Efficiency &Renewable Energy Programs Can
Create New Businesses & Services,New Green Jobs & Keep the Wealth
Local.
Jobs Businesses Tax Base
Straw Bale Testing Programs
Straw Bale Building CodeDevelopment
www.Ecological BuildingNetwork.org
www.DCAT.net
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“Many traditional non-industrial buildingsystems and materials were rejected because oflabor intensity, not because they wereinherently inferior or dangerous”
-David Eisenberg, DCAT
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50% less operating cost2.5 times more jobs created10 times less embodied energy
Source: Pliny Fisk III, CMPBS
“Availability and Spatial Coincidence of Indigenous Building Materials”, Pliny Fisk III, CMPBS
Center for Maximum Potential Building SystemsPozzolan calcrete block with mesquite sawdust block for insulation
vs.Fired brick, insulation, wood, paint, bldg paper and gypsum
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Sustainable Affordable HousingCapital Cost +Operating Cost = Affordability
1. Energy•Reduce utility costs for heating and cooling•Stretch energy assistance funding•Reduce imports of higher cost building materials
2. Employment & Economic Development•Create training & job opportunities•Create value added businesses
3. Health•Reduction of IEQ related medical expenses•Reduction of absenteeism from work and school
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Staff Housing, Aspen Center for Environmental Studies, CO
Sustainable Affordable HousingLow Capital Cost +Low Operating Cost = Affordability
Frog Hollow Farm, Brentwood, CA
Photos © Dan Smith & Assoc. Architects, Dale Abrams
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Natural buildingencourages contextbased design,appropriate to the landas well as the social andcultural fabric of acommunity.
-Photo credit Redfeather Development Group
Cultural Appropriateness
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Tribal Straw Bale Building
• Rosebud• Pine Ridge• Turtle Mountain• Northern Cheyenne• Hopi• Navajo• Pinoleville• And more…
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SAFE Homes InitiativeSustainable Affordable Efficient Housing
Intertribal COUP envisions afuture that puts Tribes on theleading edge of truesustainability, a future inwhich Tribes can depend ontheir own natural resourcesand their own trainedworkforce to address thecritical triple bottom line forSustainable, AFfordable andEfficient Homes.
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Healthy Communities
An appropriate response to past and future
realities is to help to redevelop
community self-sufficiency
Sustainable & Sovereign
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Housing for Strong Communities
• local materials• high performance (net zero
energy)• low impact• healthy
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Straw Bale Construction has become a viable buildingsystem for a wide range of applications. Among its manycrosscutting benefits it is:
Abundant A low-embodied energy material Able to create highly energy-efficient buildings An added value market for farmers A vehicle for green tech job and business creation Ideal for affordable and self-help housing A contributor to energy security Climate-beneficial building system An affordable way to add beauty and customization
Credit: Development Center for Appropriate Technology
A Multitude of Benefits
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"…the economic, job-creation, and healthbenefits of undertaking this shift areenormous, while the financial andenvironmental costs of not acting arealarming."
- Guy Dauncey
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GreenWeaver Inc.Services
•Green and Natural Building Workshops•Educational Presentations•Facilitation•Program and Curriculum Design•Architectural and Technical Consulting•Hands On Learning
Laura BartelsPresident520 S. Third St, Suite 5Carbondale, CO [email protected]
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